Sapphire Eyes Shining (excerpt)
Cody slammed the flat of his hand down on the edge
of his desk, sending a stack of textbooks spinning to the floor with a hollow
clatter. “You can't do this to
me! I worked hard on that paper.”
“Mr. Eilers, we both know that the hardest work you
did on that paper was photocopying your research and rearranging the order of
the information.” Professor Warner
rose from his perch on the corner of his own paper-strewn desk and moved behind
it.
Cody’s eyes narrowed. The “power position.”
Yeah, well, he’d read the psych books too. He moved forward to lean over the professor’s desk.
“This is unfair, and you know it.”
“What I ‘know’ is that you are capable of doing better
work than this. I also realize
that your grant is riding on this class, so I am going to give you a chance
to redo the paper. You have until
8 o’clock sharp on Monday morning to turn it in to me.”
“But it's Friday afternoon.
That doesn't give me enough time!”
“You had three weeks to prepare the paper the first
time. If you chose to waste your
research opportunity and plagiarize your results instead, that can hardly be
construed as my fault. If you prefer,
I can take the matter to the Dean at once.”
Cody scowled, sweeping his blond hair out of his eyes
with an angry swipe of his hand. “I'll
do it.” He thrust out his hand
for the paper Professor Warner held.
“No, Mr. Eilers.
I'll just hang on to this draft.”
“But all my references—”
“Surely you have another copy of your bibliography?
If not, I suggest you get started.”
Professor Warner glanced down at his wristwatch.
“It's almost 6:00. The library
closes at 10:00 on Friday. That
is all. You are dismissed.”
Cody shoved back his chair.
It grated across the tile floor with a harsh screech as he bent to collect
his books, slamming them into his knapsack with haphazard abandon.
He threw a sullen glare in Professor Warner's direction, but the instructor
was grading papers as if the young man did not exist.
The fact was not lost on Cody, who stormed out of the office, slamming
the door hard enough to rattle the frosted glass.
“How did it go?”
Mary Ann asked, her voice anxious as she rose from the hallway bench
where she had been waiting.
“He's making me redo the whole goddamn paper.”
“And...?”
“Isn't that enough?” He whirled on her, furious that she didn't seem to understand.
“It'll take me the whole weekend!
I don't have time to waste on this crap.”
“I'll help you, Cody,” she soothed, laying a tentative
hand on his tensed arm. “Come on...if
we go to the library now, I bet we could get enough sources by closing—”
“I'll do it tomorrow. I've got things to do tonight.”
“But, Cody—”
“Look, you can come with me or not,” he growled, giving
her an emerald stare that would freeze lava, “but I'm not wasting my
Friday night in the goddamn library.”
Mary Ann ducked her head, her dark hair obscuring her
face. “Sure, Cody,” she whispered.
“Whatever you say.”